Bypass, Fulton included in highway plan
The state’s recommended six-year road plan includes more than $75 million for Clark County projects including completing the bypass extension and extending Fulton Road.
Seven projects in Clark County were included in the plan, which range from paving work on Interstate 64 and the Mountain Parkway to installing guardrails along Rockwell Road.
The biggest projects included $36 million for completing Bypass Road from Boonesboro Road to the end of Veterans Memorial Parkway, $24 million for safety improvements along U.S. 60 and nearly $13 million for paving Interstate 64.
Most projects are scheduled to begin several years down the road.
Construction funds for the Bypass are budgeted for fiscal year 2024, according to the plan. Fulton Road is down to begin in 2022, followed by U.S. 60 in 2023. Work on U.S. 60 will be between Interstate 64 and Sewell Shop Road.
The Bypass and Fulton Road projects have been discussed for a number of years.
The Bypass extension, which would connect the two ends of the bypass, may be the biggest in Clark County.
“It’s a generational project,” Winchester City Manager Matt Belcher said. “It’ll transform Winchester and Clark County for years to come.”
State officials are obtaining the necessary rights-of-way, he said.
Extending Fulton Road has been discussed for about 40 years, but has never been funded. When completed, it would connect College Park to the existing Fulton Road, and add a parallel route to Lexington Avenue.
The final segment to be built would be between Professional Avenue and the current Fulton Road.
“We have been working on right-of-way acquisition for a number of years,” Belcher said.
There are about four more which need to be obtained, he said.
Both Fulton Road and the Bypass extension will be built with federal funds, though Belcher said more might be needed for Fulton.
The state’s paving work for I-64 will be in two phases: milepost 89 to 94.65 will be in fiscal year 2022 and 2023, followed by a section from milepost 94.65 to 98.1 in fiscal year 2025.
Statewide, the plan calls for $100 million to improve safety on rural roads, $8 million for guardrail installation and more than $367 million for the Mountain Parkway project and Interstate 69 crossing the Ohio River, according to a statement from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. It also includes $80 million annually for bridge repair and replacement, and up to $200 million for paving work.